Morality, Religion and Terrorism

Ex-President George W. Bush was wrong when he said the terrorists have hijacked Islam. In fact, it is Islam that has hijacked the terrorists. Bush and those who agree with him insist that the terrorists aren’t “true” Muslims; that violence in the name of Allah is counter to the Quran and Islam.

Examine that sentiment closely: compare it to what the Quran actually says. The Quran does have a paltry few verses that indicate violence should be reserved for self-defense but there’s far more in the Quran that defends, demands and rewards violence against the infidel. The Quran weaves Jihad against infidels inextricably into the fabric of Islam. It is more than a tenet of belief, it’s the moral responsibility of all Muslims. The terrorists ARE following the Quran. Islam is a rabid dogma.

So what’s really going on when Bush and other apologists for Islam claim that the terrorists have hijacked Islam? What they’re really saying is that their moral sense of God and religion disallows the use of violence in God’s name – especially indiscriminate killing. Terrorism doesn’t fit into their idea of religion.

So, instead of using religion to decide what is moral, they’re using morality to decide what is religious. To be truthful, they all do this. ALL Jews, Christians and Muslims practice their faith selectively: it’s not possible to follow their scripture 100%. More to the point, they cherry-pick what they will and will not observe.

This fact incontrovertibly invalidates the notion that we need God and religion to make us moral. It’s the other way around . . . morality is used to decide what is religious. With this in mind, why do we need religion at all?

When it comes to discussing what is or is not moral, one is sure to run into conflict and controversy. But when discussing the origins of morality, it seems to me that one must surely be led to prehistoric tribal dynamics -- and these precede religion by thousands of years. Religious folks, of course, aren't as likely to follow an unbiased, logical, line of reasoning but I would think that atheists would. Unfortunately, philosophical interest in morality appears to receive short shrift (given its role in the human condition) from all quarters. This might be the consequence of religious influence over the millennia . . . the brainwashing has succeeded: morality is too tied to religion.